Built for FAST Channel Innovation
FastTrack Live emerged from deep collaboration with AWS Media Services experts Phil Harrison (link IN) and Carlos Salazar. (link IN) While solutions like AWS MediaTailor and Channel Assembly offered powerful virtual playout capabilities, they lacked a user-friendly interface for non-technical teams.
Qualabs was showcasing VideoHeadline, an open-source, AWS-based CMS they developed to help content teams orchestrate video workflows. The convergence of these two insights led to the creation of a more complete solution: FastTrack Live Scheduler—an accelerator that removes friction from content orchestration, scheduling, and advertising.
Its purpose? To bridge the gap between engineering complexity and editorial simplicity, enabling any team to build and manage FAST channels with speed and confidence.
Seamless Integration with AWS and Broadpeak.io Environments
FastTrack Live can be deployed into your existing AWS or Broadpeak.io environment with minimal setup. It integrates seamlessly with AWS MediaTailor and Channel Assembly, or with Broadpeak.io’s VOD2Live as the manifest manipulation layer. For content management, it works natively with VideoHeadline, the open-source CMS developed by Qualabs.
What makes FastTrack Live truly powerful is its ability to act as the orchestration layer that connects all these components. It becomes the digital glue, providing an intuitive user experience for building programming rules, automating playlists, inserting ads, and generating accurate EPGs. And if your organization already uses another CMS or playout tool, FastTrack Live can be adapted and extended via API to fit your specific infrastructure and workflow needs.
VideoHeadline: Core CMS for FAST Channel Orchestration
At the heart of FastTrack Live Scheduler's efficiency lies VideoHeadline, an open-source Content Management System (CMS) developed by Qualabs. Designed to manage and monetize both Video on Demand (VOD) and live video content, VideoHeadline offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies content organization, publication, and monitoring. Built on the Django web framework and leveraging AWS services, it ensures scalability and reliability for various use cases, including news sites, educational portals, and more.
Key Features
- Global Distribution: Deliver VOD and live videos in HLS format worldwide.
- Integrated Video Player: Embed videos seamlessly with the built-in player.
- Ad Monetization: Supports VAST for client-side ad insertion and includes ad blocker detection.
- RESTful API: Facilitates easy integration with other systems.
- Simplified Deployment: Deploy effortlessly in your AWS account with a single command.
This architecture diagram illustrates how VideoHeadline integrates with AWS services like Fargate, S3, MediaServices, and CloudFront to provide a robust and scalable content management solution.
Here’s how it works:
- Content and metadata are managed in VideoHeadline CMS.
- The Scheduler receives programming rules from users, then defines and updates scheduling data.
- Broadpeak’s VOD2Live Adapter transforms this into manifest outputs (DASH/HLS) and handles client-specific personalization.
- Ad requests flow through external Ad Servers and SSPs, coordinated by the scheduler using the SSAT (Server-Side Ad Tracking) standard.
- The final EPG is published back to the OTT client for viewer display.
All of this happens via APIs, in a decoupled yet tightly orchestrated architecture that supports scalability, reliability, and integration with major playout ecosystems.
A solution that delivers for all teams
FastTrack Live’s strength lies in its ability to serve both technical and non-technical users. Engineers can connect it via API to external systems and automation scripts, while editors can build and preview their channels with a visual interface.
The result is a tool that reduces friction, speeds up deployment, and allows for better monetization through accurate, automated ad insertion and playlist integrity. For organizations with limited technical staff or high channel volume, it is a critical enabler for scaling FAST strategies efficiently.
Why this matters in a crowded FAST market
As FAST channels multiply, operational efficiency is no longer optional—it's what separates leaders from noise. Viewers expect seamless, TV-like experiences. But poor scheduling or ad misfires damage both engagement and revenue.
FastTrack Live solves this, bringing speed, consistency, and automation to your FAST operations—so you can scale without chaos and deliver with confidence.
